American Dental Association
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The American Dental Association (ADA) is an American
professional association A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to advocacy, further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that professio ...
established in 1859 which has more than 161,000 members. Based in the American Dental Association Building in the Near North Side of
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
, the ADA is the world's largest and oldest national dental association and promotes good oral health to the public while representing the dental profession. The ADA publishes a monthly journal of dental related articles named the ''
Journal of the American Dental Association The ''Journal of the American Dental Association'' is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal on dentistry published by the American Dental Association. It is freely available to the public after a one-year embargo. The journal was first published ...
''.


Overview

The American Dental Association was founded August 3, 1859, at
Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, ...
, New York,American Dental Association
. ''Baltimore Sun''. August 9, 1859. p. 4.
by twenty-six dentists who represented various dental societies in the United States. Today, the ADA has more than 152,000 members, 55 constituent (state-territorial) and 545 component (local) dental societies. It is the largest and oldest national dental association in the world and is committed to both the public and the dental profession. The association has more than 400 employees at its headquarters in
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
and its office in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
The Paffenbarger Research Center (PRC), located on the campus of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland, an agency of the American Dental Association Foundation (ADAF) and a Department of the Division of Science. PRC scientists conduct basic and applied studies in clinical research, dental chemistry, polymer chemistry and cariology, and are used by of the ADA.


Seal of Acceptance

The ADA established rigorous guidelines for testing and advertising of dental products, and the first ADA Seal of Acceptance was awarded in 1931. Today, about 350 manufacturers participate in the voluntary program and more than 1,300 products have received the Seal of Acceptance. Product manufacturers are charged $14,500 for each product the ADA evaluates. For products that are approved, manufacturers pay an annual fee of $3,500. According to the ADA, it does not make a profit from the program.


Organizational structure

The Board of Trustees, the administrative body of the association, is composed of the president, the president-elect, two vice presidents and 17 trustees from each of the 17 trustee districts in the United States. The treasurer and executive director serve as ex officio members. The House of Delegates, the legislative body of the association, is composed of 460 delegates representing 53 constituent societies, five federal dental services and the
American Student Dental Association The American Student Dental Association (ASDA) is a national student-run organization that is concerned with the rights, interests, and welfare of dental students. It has the aim of introducing students to lifelong involvement in organized dentist ...
. The house meets once a year during the association's annual session. The association's 11 councils serve as policy recommending agencies. Each council is assigned to study issues relating to its special area of interest and to make recommendations on those matters to the Board of Trustees and the House of Delegates. The association's official publication is the ''
Journal of the American Dental Association The ''Journal of the American Dental Association'' is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal on dentistry published by the American Dental Association. It is freely available to the public after a one-year embargo. The journal was first published ...
''. Other publications include the ADA News and the ADA Guide to Dental Therapeutics. The Commission on Dental Accreditation, which operates under the auspices of the ADA, is recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...
as the national accrediting body for dental, advanced dental and allied dental education programs in the United States. It is also recognized by 47 individual states. The ADA formally recognizes nine specialty areas of dental practice: dental public health,
endodontics Endodontics (from the Greek roots ''endo-'' "inside" and ''odont-'' "tooth") is the dental specialty concerned with the study and treatment of the dental pulp. Overview Endodontics encompasses the study (practice) of the basic and clinical ...
, oral and maxillofacial pathology, oral and maxillofacial surgery,
orthodontics Orthodontics is a dentistry specialty that addresses the diagnosis, prevention, management, and correction of mal-positioned teeth and jaws, and misaligned bite patterns. It may also address the modification of facial growth, known as dentofacial ...
and dentofacial orthopedics, pediatric dentistry,
periodontics Periodontology or periodontics (from Ancient Greek , – 'around'; and , – 'tooth', genitive , ) is the specialty of dentistry that studies supporting structures of teeth, as well as diseases and conditions that affect them. The supporting ...
,
prosthodontics Prosthodontics, also known as dental prosthetics or prosthetic dentistry, is the area of dentistry that focuses on dental prostheses. It is one of 12 dental specialties recognized by the American Dental Association (ADA), Royal College of Surgeo ...
, and oral and maxillofacial
radiology Radiology ( ) is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide their treatment, within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiat ...
. The ADA library has an extensive collection of dental literature with approximately 33,000 books and 17,500 bound journal volumes. The ADA library also subscribes to more than 600 journal titles. The ADA Foundation is the charitable arm of the association. The Foundation provides grants for dental research, education, scholarships, access to care and charitable assistance programs such as relief grants to dentists and their dependents who are unable to support themselves due to injury, a medical condition or advanced age; and grants to those who are victims of disasters.


Advocacy

The ADA advocates several positions to legislators in the U.S. Congress. Its agenda includes funding dental research into the safety and effectiveness of
amalgam Amalgam most commonly refers to: * Amalgam (chemistry), mercury alloy * Amalgam (dentistry), material of silver tooth fillings ** Bonded amalgam, used in dentistry Amalgam may also refer to: * Amalgam Comics, a publisher * Amalgam Digital ...
and fluoride, supporting student loans and residency programs for future dentists, increased dental coverage from
Medicaid Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with healthcare costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and pers ...
and
CHIP Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) is a type of immunoprecipitation experimental technique used to investigate the interaction between proteins and DNA in the cell. It aims to determine whether specific proteins are associated with specific genom ...
programs, reducing dental costs through reform of insurance and medical liability and through health information technology, and improving public health through
water fluoridation Water fluoridation is the controlled adjustment of fluoride to a public water supply solely to reduce tooth decay. Fluoridated water contains fluoride at a level that is effective for preventing cavities; this can occur naturally or by adding ...
, tobacco control, and disaster planning and response. In 2021, the Build Back Better legislative package passed the U.S. House of Representatives without an expansion of dental benefits within Medicare. The ADA president, Dr. Cesar R. Sabates, credited this exclusion in part to the ADA's advocacy against this expansion of benefits.


Advertising

Dudley the Dinosaur is an advertising character from the ADA. He is an anthropomorphic '' T. rex''. He lives with his mom, little sister Dee Dee, Grandpa, and baby brother Digby. His friends are other dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures like
mammoth A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus'', one of the many genera that make up the order of trunked mammals called proboscideans. The various species of mammoth were commonly equipped with long, curved tusks and, ...
s and
saber tooth tiger ''Smilodon'' is a genus of the extinct machairodont subfamily of the felids. It is one of the most famous prehistoric mammals and the best known saber-toothed cat. Although commonly known as the saber-toothed tiger, it was not closely rela ...
s. He, his friends, and family teaches children how to have healthy teeth and good
oral hygiene Oral hygiene is the practice of keeping one's mouth clean and free of disease and other problems (e.g. bad breath) by regular brushing of the teeth (dental hygiene) and cleaning between the teeth. It is important that oral hygiene be carried out ...
in the form of a cartoon character. The character Dudley the Dinosaur debuted in 1990 and became the nation's first bilingual (English and Spanish) public service campaign for kids. Dudley has appeared in numerous public service announcements on TV, a dozen National Children's Dental Health Month Campaigns, several coloring books and patient education booklets, four animated shorts produced by the ADA and on 2,500 outdoor billboards around the country. Dudley has won over 100 major awards, appeared on mugs and as a doll. He stars in comic books and DVDs available from the ADA.


Timeline

*1859: Twenty-six dentists meet in
Niagara Falls, New York Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagara ...
, and form a professional society, named the American Dental Association. *1860: First ADA constitution and bylaws are adopted. *1897: ADA merges with the Southern Dental Association to form the National Dental Association (NDA). *1908: NDA publishes the first patient dental education pamphlet. *1913: NDA adopts a new constitution and bylaws, establishing the House of Delegates and Board of Trustees. *1913: The Journal of the NDA is first published, under the title, ''Bulletin of the National Dental Association''. *1920: Maude Tanner becomes the first recorded female delegate to the NDA. *1921: During the annual meeting of the NDA, several female dentists meet in Milwaukee and form the Federation of American Women Dentists, now known as the
American Association of Women Dentists American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
(AAWD). *1922: NDA is renamed the American Dental Association (ADA). *1928: ADA affiliates with the National Bureau of Standards. *1930: Council of Dental Therapeutics established to oversee the evaluation of dental products. The council establishes the ADA's Seal Program. *1931: First ADA Seal of Approval awarded; ADA headquarters located on north side of Chicago. *1936: ADA Council on Dental Education is formed. *1950: ADA works with Congress to proclaim February 6 as National Children's Dental Health Day; ADA endorses
fluoridation Water fluoridation is the controlled adjustment of fluoride to a public water supply solely to reduce tooth decay. Fluoridated water contains fluoride at a level that is effective for preventing cavities; this can occur naturally or by addin ...
. *1964: ADA produces the first color television Public Service Announcement by a non-profit health agency; ADA establishes the ADA Health Foundation, a
501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...
non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
for the purpose of engaging in dental health research and educational programs. *1965: ADA changes its policies to urge the cessation of discrimination based on race, religion, ethnicity or creed among its member groups and affiliates. *1970: ADA News is first published. *1987: ADA Commission on the Young Professional is formed (later becomes the Committee on the New Dentist). *1991: First female ADA president, Dr. Geraldine Morrow, is elected. *1995: ADA Web site, ADA ONLINE, created (later becomes ADA.org) *2002: First Asian-American ADA president, Dr. Eugene Sekiguchi, is elected; he is Japanese-American. *2009: First female ADA
executive director Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization. The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, though ...
is chosen, Dr. Kathleen O'Loughlin.


See also

*
Academy of General Dentistry The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) is a professional association of general dentists from Canada and the United States. History and mission The academy was incorporated on August 2, 1952. Paula Jones became its first female president in 20 ...
(AGD) *
American Student Dental Association The American Student Dental Association (ASDA) is a national student-run organization that is concerned with the rights, interests, and welfare of dental students. It has the aim of introducing students to lifelong involvement in organized dentist ...
*
Amalgam (dentistry) Dental amalgam is a liquid Mercury (element), mercury and metal alloy mixture used in dentistry to dental filling, fill cavities caused by tooth decay. Low-copper amalgam commonly consists of mercury (element), mercury (50%), silver (~22–32%) ...
*
American Society of Dental Surgeons The American Society of Dental Surgeons (ASDS) was the first national dental organization formed in the United States of America. The formation of the ASDS was preceded by the formation of the Society of Dental Surgeons of the City and State of New ...
(ASDS) *
Current Dental Terminology Current Dental Terminology (CDT) is a code set with descriptive terms developed and updated by the American Dental Association (ADA) for reporting dental services and procedures to dental benefits plans. Prior to 2010 many of the codes were publi ...
*
Dentistry Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions o ...


References


External links

*
American Dental Association Department of Library Services records, 1885-2011 (inclusive), 1925-2011 (bulk). H MS c503. Harvard Medical Library, Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Boston, Mass.
{{authority control Dental organizations based in the United States Medical and health professional associations in Chicago Organizations established in 1859 1859 establishments in New York (state) 501(c)(6) nonprofit organizations Professional associations based in the United States Professional associations based in Chicago Professional associations